Remakes of music isn’t some old news. Taking an old beat or an entire song and making it your own is quite a difficult task. Here is a list of 10 K-pop songs that are actually remakes.
1. BTS’s “Coffee”
BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) is a 7 member boy group signed under Big Hit Music (HYBE Labels). They debuted on June 13, 2012 with the album ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’ and the lead single ‘No More Dream’.“Coffee” was released on 11 September, 2013 as the sixth track on BTS’s first mini-album ‘O!RUL8,2?’ The original version of the song was the debut song of Urban Zakapa in 2009. Urban Zakapa started out as a nine member group, but in 2012, they became a trio.
2. Red Velvet’s “Be Natural”
Red Velvet started out as a 4 member girl group under SM Entertainment. The group debuted on August 1, 2014 with the single ‘Happiness’. Currently, Red Velvet has 5 members, with Yeri being added to the line-up in 2015. “Be Natural” was released in 2014 and served as Red Velvet’s second single. The song featured labelmate (now a member of NCT) Lee Taeyong. Released in 2000, the original version was sung by Red Velvet’s labelmates S.E.S. It was the first song on the tracklist for their fourth full-length album, ‘A Letter From Greenland’.
3. BIGBANG’s “Sunset Glow”
BIGBANG is currently a 4 member boy group (originally 5) signed under YG Entertainment. Member Seungri had left the group in 2019. BIGBANG debuted back in 2006 and have successfully worked themselves to become one of the most prominent and influential k-pop acts in South Korea. “Sunset Glow” was released in 2008 as the lead single from BIGBANG’s second studio album ‘Remeber’. The original version of this song was sung by the singer Lee Moon-Sae. It was released on September 25, 1988 and was a single on his fifth studio album.
4. f(x)’s “Hot Summer”
f(x) is a 4 member girl group under SM Entertainment that debuted in 2009 with the digital single ‘La Cha Ta’. They were originally a 5 member group but member Sulli passed away in 2019. The group has been inactive since 2016 and although the members of f(x) have all left SM Entertainment, there has been no official news of the group being disbanded.“Hot Summer” by f(x) was released in June 2011 as a track on the group's repackaged version of their debut album ‘Pinocchio’ released in April 2011. The original version of “Hot Summer” was released by the German pop group Monrose. It was recorded for their second studio album, ‘Strictly Physical’.
5. TXT’s “Fairy Of Shampoo”
TXT (Tomorrow X Together) is a 5 member boy group that debuted under BigHit Entertainment on March 4, 2019 with the album ‘The Dream Chapter: STAR’. TXT released their version of “Fairy Of Shampoo” on May 18, 2020. It was the third track on their album ‘The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY’.The original version of the song was written and sung by Light and Salt in the 90s. It was based on the poem ‘The Shampoo Fairy’ by Jang Jung-Il.
6. VIXX’s “Love Equation”
VIXX is an idol boy group under Jellyfish Entertainment. The debuted as a 6 member group in 2012 with the single ‘Super Hero’, but Hongbin departed from the group in 2020. VIXX’s “Love Equation” was released in 2015 and was a part of their mini-album ‘Boys Record’.The original version of the song was R.ef’s 1995 hit ‘Farewell Formula’.
7. IU’s “My Old Story”
Nation’s Sweetheart’, Lee Ji-Eun, better known as IU, is an idol-actress and model. She debuted on September 18 in 2008 with the mini-album ‘Lost And Found’.Released in 2014, IU’s “My Old Story” was the lead single on her EP ‘A Flower Bookmark’.The original was released in 1984 by the 80s veteran singer Cho Deok-Bae.
8. Girls Generation’s “Dancing Queen"
Girls Generation started as a 9 member girl group under SM Entertainment in 2007 with the single ‘Into The New World’. Three of its original members left SM Entertainment in 2017, but whether or not their contracts are terminated isn’t clear. Member Jessica had confirmed her departure from the group in 2014.“Dancing Queen” by Girls Generation was released in 2012. It was a pre-release single from their fourth Korean language album, ‘I Got A Boy’.The original song was sung by the Welsh singer Duffy. It was released in 2008 and was the second single from the artist’s debut studio album ‘Rockferry’.
9. SHINee’s “Hello”
SHINee is currently a 4 member group under SM Entertainment. They debuted with 5 members with their EP ‘Replay’ on SBS’ Inkigayo in May 2008. Jonghyun, one of SHINee’s members, passed away in 2017. They have been named the ‘Princes Of K-pop’ due to their musical impact.“Hello” by SHINee, was released in 2010. It was a part of their repackage album ‘Hello’.‘Holla’, released by Mohamed Ali in 2009, was the original version of SHINee’s “Hello”.
10. BoA’s “Spark”
BoA is a soloist signed under SM Entertainment. BoA is one of the youngest idols to debut in her era as a soloist (at the age of 13) with the album ‘ID;Peace B’ in 2000. BoA has been named the ‘Queen of Kpop’ and is one of the most influential and celebrated soloists in South Korea.BoA released the song “Spark” in 2004 as a track on her fourth Korean-language album ‘My Name’.The original version of the song, ‘Keep My Cool’, was released by Luis Fonsi in 2002 on his fourth album ‘Fight The Feeling’. This is Luis Fonsi’s only album to have been released in English till date.
